Pathfinder #15—Second Darkness Chapter 3: "The Armageddon Echo" 9781601251282

Citation preview

15 Pathfinder

ADVENTURE PATH

T

he city of Celwynvian hides a terrible sin. For countless centuries the elves of the Mierani Forest have barred outsiders from the fabled City of Emerald Rains, in a desperate attempt to contain an ancient shame. But as a new power rises in the depths, the elves’ secret threatens not only to escape, but to rain down devastation upon the entire world. In desperation, elven eyes fall to a band of outsiders for aid. Tread the forsaken ground of Celwynvian, once one of the greatest capitals of elven culture, now a graveyard haunted by the spirits of the past, foul dragons, demons, and worse. Discover the darkest secret of the Mierani Forest and the truth of the cataclysm known as Earthfall. And dare to shed the bonds of eternity and pay witness to an apocalypse that has borne out a thousand times and threatens to devastate Golarion once more! This volume of Pathfinder includes: ◆ “The Armageddon Echo,” an adventure for 7th-level characters, by Jason Bulmahn. ◆ The drow of Golarion exposed! Revelations on the most fabled and feared race to haunt the Darklands’ abyssal depths, by Jeff Grubb.

Second Darkness: The Armageddon Echo

The End is Nigh!

◆ An exploration of Celwynvian, the abandoned City of Emerald Rains, a vast elven ruin that refuses to sleep peacefully, by Amber Scott. ◆ Eando Kline discovers that even familiar faces are not always welcome in the Darklands—an entry into the Pathfinder’s Journal by Greg Vaughan.

Second Darkness

◆ Four new monsters by Jason Bulmahn, Hal Maclean, and Rob McCreary.

The

Printed in China. PZO9015

Armageddon Echo By Jason Bulmahn

paizo.com/pathfinder

Drow Runes

Demon Lord Runes Flauros

Misraria

Caldrana

Azrinae

Rasivrein

Abraxas Zura

Vexidyre

Parastric

Udrinor

Vonnarc

Tracinoa

Shax

Haagenti

Cyth-V’sug

Areshkagal

Jubilex Andirifhhu

dolour

Sardavic

Nocticula

Moivas

Socothbenoth

Mazmezz

ADVENTURE PATH

PART 3 of 6

Second Darkness

The Armageddon Echo

TM

Credits Editor-in-Chief • James Jacobs Art Director • Sarah E. Robinson Managing Editor • F. Wesley Schneider Editor • James L. Sutter Copy Editor • Christopher Carey Editorial Assistance • Jason Bulmahn, Sean K Reynolds, and Vic Wertz Editorial Intern • Claudia Golden Graphic Design Assistance • Drew Pocza Managing Art Director • James Davis Publisher • Erik Mona

Cover Artist Steve Prescott Cartographer Rob Lazzaretti Contributing Artists Concept Art House, Julie Dillion, Andrew Hou, Imaginary Friends, Ben Wootten, Kevin Yan Contributing Authors Jason Bulmahn, Jeff Grubb, Hal Maclean, Rob McCreary, Amber Scott, David Schwartz, Greg A. Vaughan Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens Vice President of Operations • Jeff Alvarez Director of Marketing • Joshua J. Frost Corporate Accountant • Dave Erickson Sales Manager • Christopher Self Technical Director • Vic Wertz Online Retail Coordinator • Jacob Burgess Special Thanks The Paizo Customer Service and Warehouse Teams “The Armageddon Echo” is a Pathfinder Adventure Path scenario designed for four 7th-level characters. By the end of this adventure, characters should reach 9th level. This adventure is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the 3.5 edition of the world’s most popular fantasy roleplaying game. The OGL can be found on page 92 of this product. Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, artifacts, places, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, language, incidents, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the contents of this Paizo Publishing game product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Game License and the d20 System License, please visit wizards.com/d20. Paizo Publishing, LLC 2700 Richards Road, Suite 201 Bellevue, WA 98005 paizo.com Pathfinder © 2008, All Rights Reserved. Paizo Publishing, LLC Paizo Publishing and the golem logo are registered trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Pathfinder, and Pathfinder Chronicles, are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Printed in China.

Table of Contents Foreword

4

The Armageddon Echo

6

by Jason Bulmahn

Celwynvian

48

Drow of Golarion

54

Lament for Emerald Rains

66

Pathfinder’s Journal

74

Bestiary

80

by Amber Scott by Jeff Grubb

by David Schwartz

by Greg A. Vaughan

by Jason Bulmahn, Hal Maclean, and Rob McCreary

Pregenerated Characters Preview



90 92

Second Darkness

Eyes, Ears, and ENnies I t took us a while to figure out what role the drow play in Golarion, and in the end it was Jason Bulmahn, if my memory banks serve me right, who came up with the idea that the ancient transformation of elf into drow didn’t end in that one fell swoop; that the transformation continues to this day, finding fertile soil in the evil hearts and souls of Golarion’s most wicked elves and, under the right circumstances, resulted in a physical change from the purity of the elven race into the corruption that is drow. Not all evil elves make the change into drow, of course. The vast majority of drow in (under!) Golarion today were born that way—an elf spontaneously transforming into a drow is a rare event, one that the elves have done their best to cover up over the years. Yet when the transformation strikes a powerful and high-ranking member of elven society like Allevrah, the BBEG (Big Bad End Gal) of Second Darkness, simply covering it up isn’t going to keep things contained.

4

Just such an event was the kernel of an adventure idea that Jason came up with about a year ago—we were casting about for thoughts on how to handle Golarion’s first drow-themed adventure, and we all agreed that we needed our own take on the dark elves that at the same time retained as much of their iconic role in the game as possible. At first, we planned on introducing Golarion to the drow in a Pathfinder Module, using a plot revolving around an important elven general becoming a drow and using her resources and knowledge to launch a surprise attack against the elven nation. Of course, that’s a pretty big plot to cover in a mere 32 pages, so we swiftly moved on from there to start planning what would have been an adventure arc covering three successive modules. Yet that ended up being a poor idea too, especially since we wanted our module line to be relatively spry. The Pathfinder Modules are a great way for us to stop by for brief visits throughout the Inner Sea

Foreword

region, and locking that up with a three-part drow epic gummed up that machine. All of which led us to the final realization that what we had on our hands was the germination of an Adventure Path. And fortunately, we already had a way to produce and print Adventure Paths. So, like a ravenous hawk swooping down to snatch a tender, succulent rodent from the ground below, I claimed the drow from the modules line for a Pathfinder Adventure Path. From our initial idea of an elven general transforming into a drow, the rest of the plot (involving meteors and aboleths and Riddleport and complex political intrigue in a giant city of drow) fell into place pretty quickly. And before Jason knew what hit him, I recruited him into writing one of the adventures for the arc. The fact that he’s an excellent adventure designer certainly helped, of course, as did his sadistic streak and the almost childlike glee he takes in designing encounters that make players cry (typically encounters involving vrock demons). Jason was actually the first person I assigned to this Adventure Path—I told him he had first choice on which one he wanted to write, suspecting he’d want to take on the first one or the last one. He tricked me though, and took the middle adventure, when the PCs were first scheduled to fight waves and waves of drow soldiers and spellcasters. Of course, I think that a primary reason he picked “Armageddon Echo” was because it was the earliest he could sneak a vrock into the adventure while it could still wreak havoc on a group of relatively tender PCs.

What Big Eyes You Have! This adventure also marks a sudden rise in the number of elf NPCs in the Adventure Path. At the same time, the other side of the Editorial Pit is working on the second Pathfinder Companion, Elves of Golarion (anyone wanting to flesh out the elves of Crying Leaf with more elf-related gear, magic, or prestige classes should certainly check this 32-page supplement out). So for the past few weeks, we’ve been pretty deep in pointed ears and big dark eyes here at Paizo. Elf ears are a funny issue. They’re one of those things that everyone seems to have strong opinions about, and I’m not really sure why. The exact length and shape of these things sends our readers into shockingly passionate debates. I’m sure we didn’t help things by going all over the board in the early days of Pathfinder as we experimented with a look that would be Golarion’s. I knew I didn’t want Spock-length ears (I wanted to save those for our half-elves), but I also knew that the overly huge “anime-ears” threw a lot of our readers into fits of rage. The direction of those ears caused problems too; do they stick straight up, straight out, or at some angle in-between?

It wasn’t until Pathfinder #3 that we found a look we liked—Wayne Reynolds’s depiction of our iconic rogue Merisiel on the cover was perfect. But Wayne didn’t stop with the ears. He gave Merisiel huge dark eyes that made her look almost like an alien. They looked great! (So great that I just bought the original art for Merisiel from Wayne at Gen Con a few days ago!) We immediately latched on to the look… and for the next dozen months, struggled to maintain it. You see, it was the eyes that were causing us the most grief. Artists were used to elf ears being long and pointed after several decades, but the large eyes with no visible whites to them were new. It seemed for a while that every elf piece we ordered came in with human-looking eyes, and we had to send the art back to the artist for revision every time. Fortunately, I think we’ve now finally built up enough eye reference that, going forward, you’ll be able to recognize a Golarion elf at a glance by those big beautiful peepers.

Back from Gen Con I’m writing this foreword the second day after my return from Gen Con 2008, and I’m still not quite recovered from it. This Gen Con was Paizo’s best ever, and that’s in no small part due to our readers—we may be the ones designing and editing and creating the various Pathfinder products, but it’s you, our customers, who have made Pathfinder such a huge success. It was overwhelming to see just how much support there is out there for what we’ve been doing with Golarion—we sold out of the Pathfinder RPG Betas we’d brought to the show in a mere 9 hours, and the hardcover Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting wasn’t far behind. We also launched the Pathfinder Society organized play program at the same show, and as early as 8:00 am on the first day of the convention, the Pathfinder Society room was clogged with dozens of eager players—and that room stayed clogged for 4 days solid. And on top of that, we won 8 ENnie awards Saturday night, including a gold for Best Adventure (Pathfinder #1’s Burnt Offerings) and a gold for Best Publisher! It’s an exciting time for us here at Paizo and I just wanted to take a moment here to thank all of you who have been reading Pathfinder since the start and those who are just now coming on board with Second Darkness. You guys and gals are the best!

James Jacobs Editor-in-Chief [email protected]

5

Second Darkness Chapter

THree

The Armageddon Echo

Some things are best left forgotten. Terrible atrocities, grim sacrifices, and cataclysmic reckonings are no strangers to the annals of history, yet while those who survive such events can never hope to forget, later generations do so in the vain hope that with ignorance comes salvation. Unfortunately, among long-lived races, there are always those who remember. A grudge harbored through centuries grows in strength, waiting for a chance to settle its ancient debt. Many horrific chapters have thus been entered and later scrubbed from Golarion’s history as a result of such malice, but none more terrible than the Age of Darkness.

Adventure Background

These are dark times. The secretive and deadly drow, wicked cousins of the graceful elves, used foul magic to pull a star down from the sky to devastate the small island of Devil’s Elbow. Yet despite the destruction, this was just a test—far more terrible research is underway in the elven ruins of Celwynvian. The city lay dormant for innumerable years, crumbling and eroding, and when the elves returned to Golarion from their self-imposed exile, they sought out this ancient place in the hopes of reclaiming what was once theirs. It was here the elves first encountered the drow, and here they suffered their first defeat at the hands of their evil kin. Yet the discovery that Celwynvian had fallen to the dark elves was not the end of the horror, for it soon became clear that the taint of the drow was contagious. Spurred by equal parts of terror and shame, the elves took drastic measures. They established the community of Crying Leaf near the edge of the Mierani Forest and have been using it as a base to isolate Celwynvian and the dark elves within, hoping to prevent the rest of the world from learning of their twisted kin’s existence. This secret war under boughs of the ancient wood has festered in stalemate for centuries, with both elves and drow struggling for control. There are some among the elves who lobby for a more extreme response to the drow threat, calling for their outright eradication or even advising that the elves should once again abandon Golarion. None are more capable of acting on these urges than the Winter Council, a conspiratorial shadow council working behind the scenes of the elven government in Kyonin. One of the senior members of the Winter Council, Allevrah, had the most radical plan to deal with the dark elf menace. She lobbied for the use of the same magic that caused the Earthfall so long ago as a method to utterly eradicate the drow. Unfortunately, having nurtured her hatred of the drow for so long and having exposed her soul to vile methods of extracting secrets better left hidden, the beautiful elf found herself transformed into a drow herself as she debated with her fellow councilors, her body changing to reflect the darkness in her soul. After striking a mortal blow to the Winter Council that very nearly destroyed it, Allevrah fled to the Darklands, joining with her new dark elf kin. Once there, she seized control of the drow house Azrinae and made a change to her plans. No longer did she desire to smite the drow with a falling star—her new target was Kyonin itself. To this end, she traveled to Celwynvian with the wizard Nolveniss Azrinae to unravel and refine the powers necessary to call down a star. Even though Celwynvian’s records from the time just before the Age of Darkness were fragmented, they nevertheless advanced the drow’s research greatly, allowing them to begin preparations to test fire of the meteor-hurling

magic. This experiment, recently completed on the island of Devil’s Elbow, was mostly a success—enough so that Allevrah and her most powerful allies relocated to a remote realm deep in the Darklands under Kyonin to begin the long process of building the glyphs required to call down a much larger star on their enemies on the surface above. Yet the Devil’s Elbow incident, despite its favorable outcome, still showed the drow several places where they needed to refine their process. Using a portion of Riddleport’s famed Cyphergate and fragments of ancient magic that still functioned in the Celwynvian ruins, Nolveniss accessed a shadow version of the ancient past, a place that the drow might explore and observe the events of Earthfall firsthand. The wizard calls this realm the “Armageddon Echo,” a demiplane wherein Celwynvian is utterly destroyed by the cataclysm again and again, and where the shades of ancient elves are forced to endure their destruction over and over. This pocket dimension has also proved invaluable to the drow in their fight with the elves surrounding the city. Whenever the fighting becomes too intense, they simply flee into the Armageddon Echo, giving them time to heal and regroup. Now, as Nolveniss draws near to the end of his research, the time for the PCs to strike at Celwynvian’s invaders is at hand.

Adventure Summary This adventure begins when the PCs return to Riddleport from Devil’s Elbow with the knowledge that the drow caused the destruction on the island and that they have a larger base in the ruined elven city of Celwynvian. They also recovered a journal discussing a strange magic refuge in the city, a hiding place in the past that the drow have been using to perfect their research. They meet again with their elven ally Kwava, who informs them that the presence of drow in Celwynvian has long been a secret—even he just learned of their presence in the ruins. He reveals that the mercenary company he works for has invited the PCs to join them in the town of Crying Leaf to help assist in the struggle. The knowledge gained on Devil’s Elbow might turn the tide. Upon arriving at Crying Leaf, the PCs meet up with Eviana Nirgassan, the leader of the local elves, and deliver the information about the drow refuge, including its formerly hidden location. The characters then travel to Celwynvian with a sizable host. Over the next few days, the PCs undertake missions designed to cripple the drow and secure the city. These missions include claiming one of the less obstructed roads into the city, rescuing a trapped group of scouts, and destroying an alchemical workshop. Once these are done, the final assault on the drow headquarters commences.

7

Second Darkness Room For Diversions We’re trying something a little different here. You’ll note that this adventure is for a group of 7th-level characters, yet it’s likely that after finishing the previous adventure, “Children of the Void,” your PCs are still 6th level. This is by design—by leaving a small gap in the adventure progression here, you can further expand your own campaign as you see fit to give it a more personal touch. Perhaps the PCs have some unfinished business in Riddleport they want to complete before they leave town, or maybe you’ve got another adventure you want to send them on. You can expand the overland journey to Crying Leaf as well, dropping in more encounters along the way. Alternatively, you can send the PCs on the Set Piece adventure from Pathfinder #14 (perhaps the Teeth of Araska beat them into port and has been causing trouble), or once they arrive at Crying Leaf they may be asked to handle a certain situation in the nearby woods (giving you a chance to run this volume’s Set Piece adventure if you care to change its location). The start of “The Armageddon Echo” is deliberately slow-paced—until the PCs arrive in Celwynvian, feel free to let them take things at their own speed. Going forward to the rest of Second Darkness, we’ll be returning to the more standard model of “end one adventure and begin another,” but if you enjoy having a level between adventures like this (or conversely, if you hate it), drop us a line at paizo.com/paizo/messageboards to let us know. The Adventure Path format is, after all, a constantly evolving one, and the only way we know if new elements work is if you tell us! —James Jacobs

Located in a ruined school of magic, this final battle is a bitter one. The PCs reach the heart of the defenders only to find the drow retreating through a magical portal guarded by an aboleth. The window leads to the Armageddon Echo, and worse, the drow have dragged some elf captives with them. Beyond the portal, the PCs find themselves trapped in a Celwynvian of the past, just days before Earthfall. The city is mostly empty, and those ancient citizens who remain are convinced it is a false prophecy or are staying behind to greet the end. Over the next few days, the PCs can explore the city while dealing with drow lurking among the echoes of long-dead elves and avoiding the undead drow left behind in previous cataclysm cycles. With the apocalypse looming large in the sky, the PCs finally uncover Nolveniss’s secret base in the city’s observatory. This final battle puts an end to the drow in the city and gives the PCs a chance to escape back into the present, where the defeat of the Celwynvian drow has granted the elves a unique opportunity to take the battle deep underground to the mysterious drow city of Zirnakaynin.

8

Part One: The Path Into Peril

The adventure begins as the characters return to Riddleport after having explored the island of Devil’s Elbow, the recent site of a massive meteorite strike. Through previous adventures, the PCs learned that the drow caused the star to fall upon the small isle, uncovered a secret drow base, and learned that the drow were only part of a larger group located in the ancient elven city of Celwynvian. As the PCs return to Riddleport, perhaps with other survivors from the island in their care, they are met by a clamoring mob.

Riddleport After recent events, life in Riddleport has started to return to normal, but rumors abound concerning what’s been happening on Devil’s Elbow since the star fell from the sky. Some explorers may have already returned from the island before the PCs, bearing precious few fragments of a valuable skymetal known as noqual (see Pathfinder #14) and spreading tales of alien creatures and horrific undead. To make matters worse, a host of charlatans now wander the streets, offering supposed relics from the island at exorbitant prices while spreading wild tales of vengeful gods, rising runelords, and beautiful princesses descended from the heavens. When the PCs’ ship (likely Captain Creesy’s Flying Cloud) returns to port, a sizable crowd waits on the docks. Many of these folks are laborers, still hard at work repairing the port from the recent tsunami, while others hope to speak with anyone from Devil’s Elbow. Chief among these are a host of merchants eager to purchase any valuable metals that might have been recovered. In addition, several Gas Forge dwarves are on hand to arrange appointments for the smelting and refining of noqual ore, as the Gas Forge is the only forge in Riddleport capable of working with the hard metal. Still not comfortable with the press of urban crowds, Kwava waits to meet the PCs at the Gold Goblin— if they don’t go there, he sends an animal messenger to locate them and arrange a meeting. Once the PCs find a secluded spot to speak to the wild elf, Kwava asks them about their recent adventures. He is particularly curious about any information concerning the drow, the fallen star, and the journal the PCs found among Shindiira’s possessions. When the characters are finished with their tale, Kwava asks them to do him a great favor. Kwava pauses for a moment to gather his thoughts, a deep furrow worn into his brow. “These are grave tidings. When you discovered Vancaskerkin was working with one of the dark elves, I could hardly believe it. Now I realize there are far more terrible events in motion. If the drow have learned how to pull stars from the sky, none of us are safe.

The Armageddon Echo

“I must ask a great favor of you. My employers, the Shin’Rakorath, have only recently revealed to me the full extent of the drow menace in Celwynvian. As much as I would dearly love to see the city, they have ordered me to remain in the Riddleport hinterlands to keep watch for any further drow influence. Yet they have also expressed interest in hearing from you directly. This journal you found, combined with the one recovered some time ago from Vancaskerkin’s drow accomplice, would be of great use to my kin in the Mierani Forest. The Shin’Rakorath and I ask you to carry these journals to Crying Leaf, a small camp in the eastern reaches of the wood. Take it to Eviana, the leader of Crying Leaf. She will know what to do.” Kwava himself knows little of the secret war going on in the Mierani Forest, and has little more to reveal to the PCs. He can offer no reward to the PCs for undertaking the delivery, but he promises that Eviana is sure to be appreciative of their service. Kwava understands if the PCs need to take a day or two to rest from their recent exploits, but he urges them to leave for Crying Leaf as soon as possible. After taking his leave of the characters, Kwava returns to his camp and sends an animal messenger to his contacts in Crying Leaf, informing them of recent events.

The Road to Crying Leaf The lands north of Riddleport are sparsely populated, with a few struggling farms near the city and the occasional hunter’s lodge further afield. A winding dirt road that quickly becomes a Varisian caravan path leads north from Riddleport, a route only infrequently used by travelers making their way between Varisia and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. This road follows the Velashu River for much of its length, rarely veering away from its winding course to reduce travel time. The route to Crying Leaf follows this road until the Calphiak Mountains recede to the west. About 45 miles north of Riddleport, a hunter’s trail branches off to the west—it is this road that leads to the rim of the Mierani Forest and the settlement of Crying Leaf. If the characters follow the road and trail, the journey is about 90 miles long and should take about 3 days on horseback. The characters could attempt to cut across open country to lessen the travel distance, but the reduction in speed makes the journey take nearly the same amount of time and certainly exposes the PCs to further opportunities for peril. If the characters are running a bit behind in XP, feel free to add a few wandering encounters along the way—encounter charts for Varisia appear on page 71 of Pathfinder #3, or in Appendix D of the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting (use the tables for Temperate Hills or Plains). In addition to any random encounters you might throw at the PCs, they should certainly have the following two encounters along the road to Crying Leaf as well.

Kwava Kwava (CG male elf ranger 4, see Pathfinder #13) is a wild elf of the Ekujae tribe from the distant Mwangi Expanse far to the south. His skin is deeply tanned and tattooed and his raiment is quite simple. A few years ago, he had a vision of an elf holding a light against the growing darkness. This spurred him to leave his people and seek his fortune in the north. After a few years, he found his way to Crying Leaf and joined the Shin’Rakorath, whose creed is “the light against darkness.” As a novice member, he was sent to Riddleport to investigate a “renegade elf.” In the previous adventures, Kwava learned that this renegade was in fact a drow. He has come to help the characters on a number of occasions, and now turns to them for a favor. Kwava is quick to mention this debt if the characters rebuff his request. Kwava is quiet and stern in urban environments, as they make him uncomfortable. His camp is just outside of town.

Velashu Horse Lords At some point after the PCs have left the main riverside track and are well on their way toward the Mierani Forest, they encounter a group of the region’s infamous “Horse Lords,” rugged barbarians and rangers who travel through the Velashu Uplands in nomadic groups, following the region’s vast herds of wild horses and incidentally guarding Varisia from incursions of the more violent tribes of barbarians from the Nolands. The Horse Lords are primarily composed of Ulfen explorers and travelers who abandoned the Lands of the Linnorm Kings for a less violent life here on the outskirts of Varisia. Over the generations, their blood has mixed with both Varisians and the odd Shoanti—although the Horse Lords aren’t officially part of the Shoanti tribes, some scholars still refer to them as the “Eighth Quah.” Never in front of a full-blood Shoanti, though. At about noon, any PC who makes DC 15 Spot check notices a cloud of dust that seems to be approaching the PCs’ location. A PC who exceeds the DC 15 Spot check by 10 or more can make out a host of mounted men riding in front of the cloud, and that they’ll cross the PCs’ path in about 10 minutes. The riders are a group of Velashu Horse Lords, nomads who roam this area on their specially bred and expertly trained mounts. Although they are armed, they do not have weapons drawn as they approach the characters. One of their outriders spotted the characters a few hours ago and they have decided to come investigate (if the PCs are taking pains to stealthily pass through the region, you can omit this encounter if you wish, or you can simply explain that the Horse Lords are on their way to confront a tribe of goblins in the Calphiak Foothills and just happen to be crossing the PCs’ paths). When the riders approach, read or paraphrase the following to the players.

9

Second Darkness The cloud of dust dissipates as the riders at its head slow to a canter. They are barbarians by their dress, bearing distinctive patterns of war paint on their faces and shoulders, marks repeated in the same dark color on the necks of their equine mounts. They are twelve in number, although they are followed by a train of two dozen additional horses. As they pull to a stop, they hold up their right hands, showing that they brandish no weapons. The leader of the group, a tall, sun-tanned man with dusty black hair, urges his mount forward a few steps before speaking. “Strange days these are when stars fall from the sky and the walled-folk wander the plains of the Velashan. I am Windbraid. What brings you here?” Windbraid (N human male ranger 5) is curious as to why the PCs are traveling toward the Mierani Forest. Regardless of their motives, he warns them that the elves control the great woodland and do not take kindly to intruders. He and his people have wandered these plains for generations, and although the elves have never been overly friendly to them, they have recently become almost hostile and have barred the outlying areas of the Mierani to hunters. The Horse Lords have also heard rumors of pitched battles occurring deep within the woods, but little else is known, as the elves do not speak of it. At some point in the conversation, Windbraid asks about the markets in Riddleport. His band is heading to the city to sell or trade a number of horses, but he’d rather turn back now if Riddleport’s in one of its semi-traditional uprisings or street wars between crime lords. If the PCs express interest in the horses, Windbraid will sell them to the PCs so long as they have acted in a polite and dignified manner. The Horse Lords are very particular when it comes to their horses, and those who buy them must agree never to turn around and sell or give their horse to another. Both light and heavy Velashan horses are trained for war. These horses have the maximum number of hit points and are expertly trained. Anyone riding a Velashan horse receives a +2 circumstance bonus on Ride skill checks. A light Velashan warhorse costs 400 gp, while a heavy Velashan warhorse costs 1,000 gp. The horselords will accept coin for their steeds, but they prefer items they can use, such as masterwork weapons and magic items. Items deemed useful to them are accepted as payment at their full value. After talking with the PCs and possibly trading with them, Windbraid wishes them luck and “swift manes” in their journey before he and his band depart. They ride to the southeast, leaving the characters alone on the plain once more.

Hunters in the Forest (EL 8) On the final day of travel, the faint hunter’s trail dips under the dense canopy of the Mierani. The forest itself is a place of ancient life, with immense fir trees, pines, and

10

redwoods making up the majority of the flora. Off the trails, undergrowth and ancient deadfalls make travel difficult, but there are countless narrow trails crisscrossing the woodland that can afford more rapid travel—discovering them requires a DC 20 Survival check. Of course, no such check is necessary if the PCs choose to remain on the hunter’s trail; as narrow as the trail is, it constitutes the main route into the woodlands and the settlement of Crying Leaf. The route skirts the forest edge, never going further than a half-mile into the depths as it winds its way for 5 miles. Yet despite the fact that no elves step out of the woods to bar their entrance, the warnings the Horse Lords gave them are accurate—the PCs are watched from the moment they set foot in the woods, and not only by elven eyes. Creatures: At some point not long after the PCs enter the forest, they come to a point where some of the Mierani’s more dangerous denizens, displaced from their deeper forest lairs by the fighting near Celwynvian, have roosted in the branches of a towering redwood that overlooks the trail. This ambush is of three reptilian predators—forest drakes. When the characters draw within 100 feet, the drakes burst forth from the tree to attack. Yet the PCs are not alone in this fight. The Shin’Rakorath are expecting them, after all, since Kwava used an animal messenger spell to alert them. The elven mercenaries want to observe the PCs from afar for a time before making contact, but when the trio of forest drakes attack, they swiftly move in to provide aid. The leader of this group of mercenaries is an elf named Kaerishiel Neirenar—he and his hunters arrive on the scene a few rounds after the battle begins (time their entrance so that they arrive just after the first drake is defeated or the first PC falls).

Forest Drakes (3)

CR 5

hp 59 each (see page 86) Tactics

During Combat The drakes only land to attack between uses of their breath weapon. Morale A drake flees if reduced to 15 or fewer hit points.

Kaerishiel Neirenar Male elf ranger 8 LN Medium humanoid (elf ) Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Listen +15, Spot +15 DEFENSE

AC 22, touch 16, flat-footed 18 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +4 Dex, +2 natural) hp 47 (8d8+8) Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +5; +2 against enchantment Immune sleep; Resist fire 10 OFFENSE

Spd 30 ft. Melee mwk longsword +10/+5 (1d8+1/19–20)

CR 8

The Armageddon Echo

Ranged +2 composite longbow +12/+12/+7 (1d8+3/×3; Rapid Shot) or +2 composite longbow +10 (2 arrows, 1d8+3 per arrow/×3, Manyshot) Special Attacks favored enemy (elf +4, human +2) Spells Prepared (CL 4th) 2nd—barkskin 1st—alarm, resist energy TACTICS

Before Combat Kaerishiel casts resist energy ( fire) and barkskin before combat if possible. During Combat Kaerishiel prefers to fight at range for as long as possible, backing away from foes that approach him and using Manyshot as a standard action on rounds he can’t use Rapid Shot. Morale Kaerishiel fights until reduced to below 10 hit points unless the cause is vital, in which case he fights to the death. STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8 Base Atk +8; Grp +9 Feats Endurance, Improved Initiative, Manyshot, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Track Skills Heal +8, Hide +15, Knowledge (geography) +5, Listen +15, Move Silently +15, Spot +15, Survival +13 Languages Common, Elven SQ animal companion (fire pelt named Ashka), swift tracker, wild empathy +7, woodland stride Combat Gear antitoxin (2), potion of cure moderate wounds (2); Other Gear +1 studded leather armor, masterwork longsword, +2 composite longbow (+1 Str), cloak of resistance +1, ring of protection +2

Ashka

CR —

Male fire pelt animal companion (MM 274, leopard) hp 19

Elven Scouts (4) Elf ranger 2/rogue 3 NG Medium humanoid (elf ) Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Listen +11, Spot +11

CR 5

TACTICS

During Combat The elves take up positions in the trees 60 feet from the battle and fire upon the forest drakes from concealment. They only use their +1 flaming arrows if the battle goes poorly (these are not factored into attack values)—they want to avoid starting fires if possible. STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 10 Base Atk +4; Grp +5 Feats Improved Initiative, Rapid Shot, Track, Weapon Focus (longbow) Skills Climb +7, Hide +12, Listen +11, Move Silently +12, Spot +11, Survival +6 Languages Common, Elven SQ trapfinding, wild empathy (+2) Combat Gear +1 flaming arrows (5), potion of cure light wounds (2), signal arrows (2); Other Gear masterwork studded leather armor, short sword, masterwork composite longbow (+1 Str) with 40 arrows, 10 gp Development: After the combat is over, the elves emerge from hiding and slowly approach the characters, holding their bows in a non-threatening manner but nonetheless at the ready. Kaerishiel, the leader of the scouts, asks why the PCs have come to the Mierani Forest, and as long as they mention Kwava’s name or indicate they have critical information about the drow that must be delivered to Crying Leaf, he nods—he received descriptions of the PCs from Kwava, but they aren’t exact. A naturally suspicious soul, Kaerishiel doesn’t fully trust the PCs even if they answer his questions properly, and he and his hunters remain silent and grim for the remainder of the journey as they escort the PCs the rest of the way to town. Apart from explaining that Kwava sent a note informing the elves to expect the PCs’ arrival, Kaerishiel has little to say to the PCs. If the characters continue asking questions, Kaerishiel abruptly informs them, “It would be best to allow Eviana to answer your questions. You should keep silent, there are many enemies in these woods.”

Crying Leaf

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +4 Dex) hp 28 (2d8+3d6+5) Fort +5, Ref +10, Will +2; +2 against enchantment Defensive Abilities evasion, trap sense +1; Immune sleep OFFENSE

Spd 30 ft. Melee short sword +5 (1d6+1/19–20) Ranged mwk composite longbow +10 (1d8+1/×3) or mwk composite longbow +8/+8 (1d8+1/×3; Rapid Shot) Special Attacks favored enemy (elf +2), sneak attack +2d6

Up ahead, the forest begins to thin somewhat, but a screen of plants prevents observation of what lies within. After a moment, several elf scouts approach the screen, which turns out to be a solid wall of thorny vines. One of the elves puts a small silver whistle to his lips and blows three times. As the last twittering note begins to fade, the wall of vines springs to life, pulling back to reveal a small settlement in a clearing on the other side. The village of Crying Leaf is a modest one, with low strucures made of gracefully shaped stone and wood that has been carefully decorated and carved. What is immediately apparent is that this settlement has seen battle recently. A number of the

11

Second Darkness buildings bear burn marks and other damage, and most of the citizens are armed with bows and swords.

Demographics

Crying Leaf, from without and within, is a community on the edge of conflict. Just 1 day to the west lie the ruins of Celwynvian, the site of a near constant skirmish with the drow. As such, the elves use Crying Leaf as a staging ground, a safe haven where weary combatants can get a measure of rest and resupply. Although the drow have long known of Crying Leaf ’s location, the distance from the drow holdings in Celwynvian has traditionally kept the village safe, but recent attacks on Crying Leaf in the form of conjured demons and swiftmoving drow skirmishers have brought the war uncomfortably close to home, as evidenced by the tense nature of Crying Leaf ’s inhabitants and damage to some of the buildings. This community has little contact with the outside world. While the occasional merchant caravan travels to Riddleport for supplies, the community is primarily provisioned and reinforced directly from Kyonin, the elven nation far to the east, through the use of teleport and similar magic. While many of the elves are interested in the arrival of outlanders since they have seen so few of them in the past couple of years, others are skeptical, believing that they are not needed to solve what is seen as an “elven problem.” When the PCs arrive, Kaerishiel quickly leads them to a low stone building near the edge of town where they can stable their horses and refresh themselves from their hard journey. Many of the elves follow them and loiter around outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the outsiders. Kaerishiel, meanwhile, goes to report to Eviana and prepare for the meeting. The building to which the PCs are assigned contains three chambers: a central room, a simple bathroom, and a meditation room containing eight woven reed mats for resting. An oak table surrounded by gracefully carved chairs dominates the main chamber. Atop this table is a mound of fruits and vegetables, freshly harvested. After an hour has passed, Kaerishiel returns to escort the PCs to Eviana. He leads them to the center of the town to an ornate wooden long hall, roofed in broad, autumncolored leaves. One end of the hall is open, revealing an immense table that runs the entire length of the hall. At the far end, seated upon a tall chair of polished white wood, is Eviana, the leader of Crying Leaf.

Authority Figures

Crying Leaf Village conventional (ruling noble); AL CG GP Limit 200 gp*; Assets 7,800 gp

12

Population 780 Type isolated (elf 98%, half-elf 2%) Eviana Nirgassan, CG female elf sorcerer 7 (leader of Crying Leaf ); Kaerishiel Neirenar, LN male elf ranger 8 (leader of local chapter of the Shin’Rakorath) *Although the GP Limit of Crying Leaf is only 200 gp, supply merchants from Kyonin teleport in on a monthly basis, at which point special requests for additional purchases can be made against a GP limit of 100,000 gp; objects purchased are delivered the next day via a second teleporting merchant.

Meeting with Eviana The leader of Crying Leaf has had a tumultuous reign. Appointed by the elven council in Kyonin, Eviana Nirgassan was placed in charge of the community nearly a decade ago after the previous leader was assassinated by the drow. Although the lowgrade war with the dark elves has been going on for many years, it has intensified recently as both sides seek an end to the conflict. Eviana has also been forced to keep this escalation quiet from both the outside world and her own kin, who would find such news quite disturbing. The Shin’Rakorath, a group of elven mercenaries founded ages ago by the secretive Winter Council, also maintains a unit of hunters and scouts here. Kaerishiel is the leader of the Shin’Rakorath in Crying Leaf, and he and Eviana do not often agree on what is best for the community—Kaerishiel has long pushed for a stronger offensive against the drow, while Eviana prefers a campaign of silence and containment. Eviana has been quite disturbed by the recent events in Riddleport, as reported by Kwava. As such, she was quite relieved when Kwava’s animal messenger arrived, informing her that a group of heroes had recovered a journal that might help turn the tide against the drow. Kaerishiel argued against inviting these “heroes” into an elven situation, but in the end her desires to recruit the aid of the PCs won out over the other elf ’s reservations. Seated in a high-backed chair of polished white birch, Eviana is a striking figure. Her high brow is set with a thin metal circlet, and small gemstones sparkle in her hair. Although richly dressed in a finely made gown, the hilt of a sword is clearly visible at her waist. Kaerishiel strides up to take a seat at the table to her right. As she indicates to the PCs that they should be seated at the table as well, she speaks.

Eviana Nirgassan

The Armageddon Echo

“Please, be seated,” Eviana says in light and friendly voice. “I received word from your friend Kwava that you were coming, bringing with you knowledge that might help us with our… situation, deeper in the Mierani. My people and I are grateful that you made this journey. As you can likely guess, we are in a delicate position. It would be best if what you learn here does not spread beyond the bows of the Mierani. Do we have an accord?” Assuming that the PCs agree to keep this information confidential, Eviana asks them to present what they have learned. Although both Eviana and Kaerishiel are concerned about the events that occurred on Devil’s Elbow, their true interest lies in the two journals—Shindiira’s and Depora’s. Shindiira’s has more information about the Armageddon Echo where the drow of Celwynvian retreat to recover, but both journals, especially when cross-referenced against each other, contain a wealth of information. After the characters are finished with their tale, Eviana offers them 2,000 gp for the two journals as a reward—if the PCs decline the offer, she smiles, visibly impressed by the move. Once she has the journals, she resumes her speech. “Thank you for this. You now know why we have had to close the borders of the Mierani, and indeed, why Crying Leaf was established. The drow have a strong presence in the old ruins of the once great city of Celwynvian. I tell you now that the situation is far worse than you might suspect. The drow control the ruins almost completely, and have for some time now. We here in Crying Leaf have been locked in what seems to be an unending struggle with them for many years, and until recently we believed we had them contained. Yet your conflicts under Riddleport and on Devil’s Elbow showed us all this was not the case at all. And in Celwynvian, the drow have been quite elusive. Whenever we prepare a major strike, the city seems empty, but our gains are quickly eroded within days as a renewed force pushes us back. We had thought that the drow were fleeing into the Darklands, but now we know the truth of it—they have been retreating instead into this pocket dimension they call the Armageddon Echo. “I must confer with my contacts in Kyonin to determine what is to be done with the knowledge. Might I ask you to wait until we have decided? You have done well so far against the drow, and there may be a place for you among Crying Leaf’s forces in the battles to come. I assure you, if you are willing to join with us, you shall be paid handsomely, at rates equal to those we afford the Shin’Rakorath.” With that, Eviana leaves the hall, entrusting the PCs again to Kaerishiel’s care. Once she has gone, the leader of the Shin’Rakorath escorts them back to their lodge in silence, an angry look on his face. Once there, he suddenly turns on them. Read or paraphrase the following to the characters.

Elven Communities When your players reach Crying Leaf, try to impress upon them how different it is from anywhere else they have visited thus far. As an entirely elven town, Crying Leaf has a number of oddities that you can play on to great effect. Try to keep the following points in mind. • There are no beds in Crying Leaf, since the elves do not sleep. There are simple reed mats in nearly every home to facilitate their daily meditations. • Most of the elves here are vegetarians—meat is never served. Similarly, ale and beer are not readily available. The elves tend to drink water or wine with all of their meals. • Crying Leaf has little in the way of amenities for visitors. There are no taverns, inns, or stores in the community. All of the food and supplies are rationed by Eviana and her men. Characters looking to make purchases must do so from these stores, which are guarded by several elf scouts. • Although all of the elves can speak Common, Elven is the only language spoken here. If the PCs do not speak it, they will find that they won’t understand most conversations. When speaking directly to the characters, most elves are polite enough to speak Common

“I suppose you are quite proud of your accomplishments. I have been urging Eviana to all-out war with the dark elves for months, but you have managed to push her to action almost by accident. I would not get comfortable; you will be leaving here soon.” The characters are left on their own in the guest lodge for rest of the day. They’re free to explore the small village if they wish, but with the majority of the citizens out in the field on missions in and around Celwynvian, there’s simply not much to see. Just before sundown, a group of elves bring them a dinner of fire-roasted vegetables, bread, and wine.

Off to War In the morning, Kaerishiel arrives with a small host of his guards and asks the PCs to accompany him to Eviana. Returning to the lodge, the characters find the leader of Crying Leaf dressed in a resplendent suit of shining elven chainmail. There are a number of other elves here as well, similarly dressed, poring over large maps of the forest. Read or paraphrase the following to the players. “We have come to a decision,” Eviana begins, looking both tired and grim. “We are going to war. The information you have provided us has convinced me that we might be able to drive the drow out of our city entirely. Further, I have decided that you might play a useful role in this effort. Our numbers are few and the drow are entrenched. Since you already have experience

13

Second Darkness dealing with the drow, your assistance would be quite valuable. What say you? Will you help us?” Assuming that the PCs agree, Eviana thanks them deeply and asks them to return to their lodge to prepare for the journey to Celwynvian—their role in the battle will be explained when they arrive in the ruins’ vicinity. If the PCs ask about payment for aiding the elves, Eviana assures them that they will be awarded properly for their help when victory is claimed—see page 19 for more details about the rewards the elves are prepared to gift the PCs with if they press for more details. After the meeting, Kaerishiel escorts the PCs back to their lodge in silence, refusing to speak to them. When the lodge is in sight, he points and says, “I think you can find your way from here. I am done guiding you. You have no idea of the danger you have walked into.” With that, he storms off to prepare his men for the journey.

Part Two: the Battle for Celwynvian

The fighting forces of Crying Leaf take another 4 hours to fully mobilize. During this time, all of the ablebodied combatants are busy preparing to depart for the final campaign. While the majority of the warriors are members of the Shin’Rakorath mercenary company, there is a sizable group of elves reporting directly to Eviana. This mobilization leaves only a small contingent of elves to defend and maintain Crying Leaf—the hope being that if the gathering forces are successful and drive the drow out of Celwynvian, Crying Leaf will face no further peril. The PCs are left to their own devices during this time, allowing them to pack up for the journey with ease. Just after noon, the elves are ready to depart. Travel through the tangled wilds of the Mierani precludes horseback riding, and Eviana promises the PCs that if they wish to leave any mounts at Crying Leaf, they will be tended and well-cared for. With the army of several hundred elves assembled, Kaerishiel blows a single note from his horn and the march begins. The army does not march in a classic column— rather, the elves break apart into small groups of four to six, both to make moving through the forest less onerous and to present the enemy, if they are encountered, with smaller groups to target. The PCs are expected to form their own such skirmish group, but Kaerishiel is never far off, his distrusting gaze lingering on the PCs if they fall behind or otherwise get distracted along the way. The journey to Celwynvian takes just over a day to complete, requiring the group to camp in the forest roughly halfway to the ruined city. The journey is largely without event, as the natural predators of the forest are quick to hide or move aside against such a large mobilization of elves. As the second day of the march begins, the first

14

sign of an abandoned civilization manifests in the form of an ancient road of overgrown marble stones that leads to Celwynvian. While tangled, this path still allows for much faster travel than any other route. The road leads to a clearing just half a mile from the ruins where many of the scouts and skirmishers currently watching over the city hold a temporary camp. The forest still blocks any view of Celwynvian, but half-crumbled pillars and eroded foundations testify to the site’s proximity. The elves spend the rest of the day setting up camp and perimeter watches. Eviana’s pavilion is in the middle of the camp, with Kaerishiel’s closer to the edge. The PCs are given a spot not far from Eviana’s to make their camp, and they are supplied with simple green tents if they do not have any of their own. Just before dusk, one of Eviana’s guards comes to inform the characters that the lady has requested their presence at dinner to go over plans and their role in the struggle.

Planning the Attack Arriving at dinner, the PCs find Eviana seated with Kaerishiel, a host of her personal guard, and a few important-looking elves wearing gleaming armor. These elves represents the leaders of the Celwynvian Watch, a group that has been patrolling the edge of the city for the past few years in an attempt to keep the drow inside. This group is led by an elven ranger named Shalelu Andosana (CG female elf ranger 4/fighter 2), an attractive woman who seems strangely at ease despite the fact that she’s obviously just returned from scouting. A Crying Leaf native, Shalelu has only recently come home after spending many years in the area around Sandpoint on the central Varisian coast. Dinner is a plain affair of steamed turnips, potatoes, and carrots, served in a light vegetable broth along with some simple bread. The wine is light and fruity, but it is served in moderation. Eviana refuses to speak of the conflict during dinner, asking Shalelu and the other scouts about the flora and fauna in the area. After dinner is cleared away, soldiers bring forth a large map of the ruined city, unfurling it out onto the table. The elves look over the map for a moment, and then Eviana turns to Shalelu and, for the PCs’ edification, asks her to explain what they’re looking at. Shalelu nods, then speaks. “This is a map of Celwynvian, based partially on old records from Kyonin and modified as appropriate to the current state of things. In some cases, we’ve had to make educated guesses as to the condition of streets and buildings from our observations, and much of the interior is not well known to us since venturing inside can be quite dangerous. The streets are patrolled by both drow and demons, making reconnaissance difficult. There are only a few unobstructed ways into the city, and we must secure them first if we are to have any chance of reclaiming the site.”

The Armageddon Echo

At this point, Eviana begins talking strategy with the assembled crowd. Using the information retrieved by the PCs, she lays out a plan to strike at the center of Celwynvian, a place called the Academy of the Arts—it is here that the journals claim the drow refuge is located. Unfortunately, the Academy of the Arts is well behind enemy lines, and before the final assault on the core can be attempted, all of the major roads into the city must be secured so that the army of Crying Leaf can be brought against the drow with ease. This is where the PCs are brought into the planning. Eviana explains that the best road into the city crosses in front of the ancient library of Reenai, and Shalelu reports that the drow have been using this building to watch over the road and prevent intruders from gaining easy access. Eviana would like the PCs to infiltrate this structure and take out the drow hiding within while the rest of the forces attack other critical spots around the perimeter of the ruins. After this, the army will march inward, making its way toward the Academy. Since the interior is not well known, the plans get noticeably less organized from this point onward and most of the talk turns to contingencies. This is also a good time for Shalelu to share any other intelligence she has with the assembled group. As the meeting continues, Shalelu mentions that there are more than just drow and demons in the city. Two days ago, she saw a green dragon circling the skies above. This bit of news sends a ripple of murmurs through the gathered elves and instigates at least one mention of the name “Razorhorn.” If the drow have a dragon on their side, this battle could be quite a bit more difficult than anticipated. Kaerishiel is mostly quiet through dinner and the meeting that follows. He discusses the strength of his company where appropriate, but disagrees with both Shalelu and Eviana on a number of key points, the biggest of which remains the involvement of the PCs. He offers to send a group of his scouts in their place to secure the library, suggesting that the characters should be used to guard the base camp. Assuming that the PCs disagree, Eviana disregards this suggestion and proceeds with the planning. Not surprisingly, Kaerishiel fumes for the rest of the meeting, casting cold glares at the characters when no one else is watching.

Shalelu’s Intelligence Shalelu has gathered a great deal of information about the drow in Celwynvian during her scouting expeditions, some of which might be of use to the characters during their assault of the city. • Drow patrol the streets quite regularly after dark, usually with more than one group in an area to aid others in case of an ambush. • Many of the drow use dangerous alchemical weapons delivered through specially designed crossbow bolts. • There are a good number of demons wandering the city. Although they do not attack the drow, some appear to have bucked their commanders and operate independently. • The number of drow in the city seems to vary wildly. Sometimes there appears to be hundreds, while at other times the city is almost deserted. • A building on the north side of the city is being used for some foul purpose as it constantly belches forth noxious smoke. • Although no one else has seen it, Shalelu is positive that the dragon she spotted is Razorhorn, the spawn of a more powerful dragon that once savaged Crying Leaf and was responsible for the death of her mother.

Shalelu

Adventuring in Celwynvian The following guidelines are presented to help track the ongoing battle for Celwynvian. Since the PCs’ involvement primarily revolves around a number of specific encounters and not with the actual mass battle between large numbers

of elves and drow, it’s important to work larger battlefield events and flavor in seamlessly with other random encounters and occurrences. In addition, while the battle continues to rage, certain elements make adventuring in the ruins even more dangerous than normal. Movement: Although the roads shown on the map are relatively clear, the underbrush has tangled all the other areas, making them difficult to traverse and halving normal movement rates (save for characters like druids who can pass through undergrowth with ease). This is especially true of the areas containing ruins. Moving through a square that contains ruins reduces movement rates to 1/3 normal. Recovery: The elves have many healers among their ranks, mostly low-level rangers, clerics, and bards armed with wands of cure light wounds and potions of lesser restoration. If the PCs wish to take advantage of these services at the elven base camp, they can have all of their wounds and ability damage healed

15

Second Darkness after a short visit to the infirmary in the base camp—there’s no need to track charges or roll for healing if they do. Just say a few minutes pass and they get patched up swiftly. Ability drain, negative levels, diseases, blindness, and other more lasting effects cannot be cured quite so quickly. Each day, the base camp has 1d6 uses of dispel magic, remove blindness/ deafness, remove curse, remove paralysis, and remove disease (all at CL 5th) and 1d3 uses of restoration (at CL 7th) available for the PCs to take advantage of; once one of these resources is used up, it doesn’t replenish until the next day. Resting: The battle for Celwynvian takes many days, with the elves pressing the advantage against the drow during the day and the drow pushing back at night—both forces are often forced to retreat to safety to rest and recover, but the actual skirmishing continues unabated during all hours of the day and night. The PCs will undoubtedly need to rest, recover from wounds, and resupply during this adventure, likely after each of their missions. The encounters presented here do not follow a set timeline, so you can allow the PCs to recover as needed to ensure they are up to the challenge. Feel free to push them, however, to the limits of what they can accomplish. If the PCs elect to hunker down in the city itself to rest, there’s a 20% chance every 2 hours of an encounter—if they retreat to the elven base camp just in the city’s periphery, though, they’ll be able to rest without fear of interruption. In any event, excessive resting can impact their overall victory— each time the PCs rest more than once in a 24 hour period, they loose 2 Battle Points (see page 19). Random Encounters: The city is full of drow and elves fighting for every foot of ground. To help simulate this, check for a random encounter each time the PCs move through the ruined city from one location to another, with the chance of an encounter occurring at a rate of 30%. Likewise, if the PCs seek out a building to explore that’s not otherwise detailed in this adventure or the gazetteer of Celwynvian that begins on page 48, there’s a 30% chance the building houses a random encounter. A list of random encounters for Celwynvian during the battle appears at the start of this volume’s Bestiary on page 81. If an encounter doesn’t occur, roll instead for a random event. As always, feel free to force or ignore encounters as best fits the flow and need for your game. Random Events: Whenever a random encounter doesn’t occur (or whenever you feel the need to punctuate a long period of time with something to remind the PCs that a battle is going on), roll on the table on page 17 to determine a random event the PCs witness. Several of these random events afford the PCs opportunities to earn additional battle points (see page 19).

Drow Statistics A large number of drow inhabit Celwynvian. The majority fall into three categories: skirmishers (drow rogues who

16

serve as scouts, spies, and messengers), soldiers (the rankand-file fighters), and arcanists (often commanders of smaller units). All three stat blocks are presented here for ease of reference.

Drow Skirmisher

CR 3

Male drow rogue 2 CE Medium humanoid (elf ) Init +7; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Listen +8, Spot +8 DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+3 armor, +3 Dex) hp 11 (2d6+2) Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +1 (+3 against spells and spell-like abilities); +2 against enchantment Defensive Abilities evasion; Immune sleep; SR 13 Weakness light blindness OFFENSE

Spd 30 ft. Melee short sword +2 (1d6+1/19–20) Ranged mwk hand crossbow +5 (1d4/19–20 plus poison) Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6 Spell-Like Abilities (CL 2nd) 1/day—dancing lights, darkness, faerie fire TACTICS

During Combat Drow skirmishers avoid melee combat whenever possible, preferring to use their more accurate ranged weapons. They open with their poison bolts, hoping to poison foes quickly while using darkness to slow the advance of enemies. If forced into melee, skirmishers always attempt to flank with one another. Morale Drow skirmishers flee if reduced to less than 4 hit points, using smokesticks to create cover if necessary. STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 12 Base Atk +1; Grp +2 Feats Improved Initiative Skills Balance +10, Climb +6, Hide +8, Jump +8, Listen +8, Move Silently +8, Spot +8, Tumble +10 Languages Common, Elven, Undercommon SQ trapfinding Combat Gear drow poison bolts (4), potion of cure light wounds, smokestick; Other Gear masterwork studded leather armor, masterwork hand crossbow with 20 bolts, short sword

Drow Soldier Male drow fighter 4 CE Medium humanoid (elf ) Init +3; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Listen +4, Spot +4 DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, +1 shield) hp 34 (4d10+8)

CR 5

The Armageddon Echo

Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +3 (+5 against spells and spell-like abilities); +2 against enchantment Immune sleep; SR 15 Weakness light blindness

Celwynvian Random Events d%

Occurrence

01–10

Mysterious Cry: A cry for help echoes from a nearby building. Roll for a random encounter. If none occurs, the building is strangely empty. Blood Trail: A trail of fresh blood leads toward a small copse of trees, where suddenly ends. Shadow Overhead: Something passes overhead for an instant, causing a shadow to rush over the characters. A DC 25 Spot check picks out a large winged shape (the dragon Razorhorn, see page 43) gliding over the city, quickly passing out of sight beyond the ruined skyline. Hail of Arrows: A hail of elven arrows accidentally falls onto the PCs. Each PC is attacked 1d4–1 times at a +5 bonus. The arrows deal 1d8+2 points of damage each. Crumbling Building: A nearby damaged building collapses, dealing 4d6 points of damage to anyone within 30 feet (Reflex half DC 15). Chance Meeting: The PCs run into a group of 1d4+1 elves making their way into the city. One of them is a 5th level cleric who offers to cast cure light wounds on every character who needs it. Dead Bodies: The bodies of 1d4 elves are found in the middle of the street. There is a 60% chance that they are the bodies of drow skirmishers, otherwise they are elven scouts. In either case, there’s an 80% chance that their gear has been stripped. Leftover Spell Effect: An errant spell blocks the PCs’ path. Roll 1d6 to determine the spell: 1–entangle, 2–web, 3–stinking cloud, 4–wall of fire, 5–wall of ice, 6–wall of thorns. The spell effect functions at its minimum caster level. Wounded Survivor: The PCs find an elf that is unconscious from his wounds, but stable. If it is an elven scout (50% chance), there’s a 20% chance he has important intelligence about the drow—if he’s safely returned to the camp, the PCs earn 1 battle point. Monster Sighting: The PCs find the horribly crushed body of a drow soldier, his gear completely ruined. If you roll this occurrence again, a crazed treant (MM 244) attacks, driven to madness by recent events. If the PCs defeat the treant, they earn 1 battle point. Drow Slaves: The PCs run across a group of 4 troglodytes (MM 246) escorting a group of elven prisoners back to their drow masters. If the PCs free the prisoners and return them to base camp, they earn 1 battle point.

OFFENSE

Spd 30 ft. Melee mwk rapier +9 (1d6+3/18–20) Ranged mwk hand crossbow +8 (1d4+1/19–20) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th) 1/day—dancing lights, darkness, detect magic, faerie fire, feather fall, levitate

11–20 21–25

TACTICS

During Combat Drow soldiers avoid melee combat until absolutely necessary. Instead, they fire on foes using their hand crossbows, often attacking from high ledges they’ve levitated up to, hoping to down foes with their alchemical bolts. In melee combat, they fight in pairs, teaming up on weaker foes before taking on more skilled opponents. Morale Drow soldiers flee if reduced to less than 5 hit points.

26–30

31–40

STATISTICS

Str 13, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 10 Base Atk +4; Grp +5 Feats Dark Adept, Iron Will, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (rapier), Weapon Specialization (rapier) Skills Climb +3, Hide +6, Listen +4, Move Silently +6, Spot +4, Tumble +6 Languages Common, Draconic, Elven, Undercommon Combat Gear fire bolts (5), acid bolts (5), drow poison bolts (2), potion of cure moderate wounds; Other Gear mithral shirt, masterwork buckler, masterwork hand crossbow with 10 +1 bolts, masterwork rapier

Drow Arcanist Male drow sorcerer 6 CE Medium humanoid (elf ) Init +3; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Listen +8, Spot +5 DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +1 deflection, +3 Dex) hp 27 (6d4+11) Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +7 (+9 against spells and spell-like abilities); +2 against enchantment Immune sleep; SR 17 Weakness light blindness

41–50

51–65

66–75

CR 7

76–85

86–95

OFFENSE

Spd 30 ft. Melee mwk dagger +3 (1d4–1/19–20) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th) 1/day—dancing lights, darkness, detect magic, faerie fire, feather fall, levitate Spells Known (CL 6th; +6 ranged touch) 3rd (4/day)—fireball (DC 17) 2nd (6/day)—acid arrow, blur

96–100

17

Second Darkness Drow Alchemy The drow have developed a number of alchemical weapons to use in their fight against the elves. The following weapons are common equipment among drow soldiers. Acid Bolts: These metal bolts have a glass section in the middle, filled with acid. On a successful hit, they deal normal damage and 1d4 points of additional acid damage. Acid bolts do not cause any splash damage. Cost: 40 gp per bolt. Fire Bolts: These carefully crafted wooden bolts have a hollow core filled with alchemist’s fire. On a successful hit, they deal normal damage plus 1d4 points of fire damage. Alchemical fire bolts do not cause any splash damage, and the fire burst isn’t enough to ignite targets (unless they are particularly flammable). Cost: 50 gp per bolt. Drow Poison Bolts: These iron bolts have small resin tips that break when the bolts strike their targets. Inside is a dose of drow poison. Anyone struck by a drow poison bolt must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or fall unconscious for 1 minute. After 1 minute, the subject must succeed on another DC 13 Fortitude save or remain unconscious for 2d4 hours. Those using drow poison bolts do not risk poisoning themselves, but the strange tip affects the bolts’ accuracy. Double the range penalties when using a drow poison bolt. Cost: 100 gp per bolt.

AbraxAs The drow of House Azrinae serve Abraxas, Master of the Final Incantation, Demon Lord of Magic and Forbidden Lore. Abraxas is believed to know countless magical formulas, spells, and secrets, particularly those that cause great devastation and pain—including the “Final Incantation,” a potent word that, when uttered, strips away and destroys magic. His clerics have access to the domains of Chaos, Evil, Knowledge, and Magic, and his favored weapon is the whip.

1st (7/day)—enlarge person, mage armor, magic missile, ray of enfeeblement 0 (6/day)—acid splash, detect magic, ghost sound (DC 14), mage hand, ray of frost, read magic, touch of fatigue (DC 14) TACTICS

Before Combat If expecting trouble, drow arcanists cast mage armor and use their wand of false life as soon as possible. If given additional warning before a fight, they also cast blur and use their scroll of haste on allies just before the fight. During Combat Drow arcanists try to take out their opponents as quickly as possible, using fireballs against large groups, acid arrows against spellcasters, and rays of enfeeblement against melee-oriented foes. They avoid melee combat at all costs. Morale Drow arcanists flee from combat if dropped to below 5 hit points.

18

STATISTICS

Str 8, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 18 Base Atk +3; Grp +2 Feats Dark Adept, Empower Spell, Weapon Focus (ray) Skills Concentration +9, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Spellcraft +7 Languages Abyssal, Common, Elven, Undercommon SQ summon familiar (bat) Combat Gear potion of cure moderate wounds, scroll of haste, wand of false life (10 charges); Other Gear cloak of resistance +1, masterwork dagger, ring of protection +1

Drow Captain

CR 7

Female drow fighter 2/cleric 4 (Abraxas) CE Medium humanoid (elf ) Init +0; Senses darkvision 120 ft. ; Listen +9, Spot +9 DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 10, flat-footed 20 (+8 armor, +2 shield) hp 39 (6 HD; 2d10+4d8+6) Fort +8, Ref +1, Will +7 (+9 against spells and spell-like abilities); +2 against enchantment Immune sleep; SR 17 Weakness light blindness OFFENSE

Spd 20 ft. Melee +1 whip +7 (1d3+2 nonlethal) or mwk flail +7 (1d8+1) Ranged mwk hand crossbow +6 (1d4/19–20) Special Attacks rebuke undead 4/day (+1, 2d6+6) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th) 1/day—dancing lights, darkness, detect magic, faerie fire, feather fall, levitate Spells Prepared (CL 4th, CL 5th evil spells) 2nd—desecrate D, hold person (DC 15), sound burst (DC 15), spiritual weapon 1st— bless, cure light wounds (2), divine favor, protection from good D 0—cure minor wounds (2), detect magic, guidance (2) D domain spell; Domains Evil, Magic TACTICS

During Combat In combat, a drow captain uses her spells to best effect, using hold person against melee combatants and spiritual weapon on spellcasters. If accompanied by undead or other drow, she prepares for combat by casting bless on her allies before casting divine favor and protection from good on herself. She reserves sound burst for a grouping of adversaries, catching her allies in the burst if necessary, counting on the drow’s innate spell resistance to protect them. If outside the fray, a drow captain uses her wand of magic missile to disrupt spellcasters. Morale If a drow captain’s entourage is routed or slain, the captain flees. Otherwise, she only flees if reduced to less than 5 hit points.

The Armageddon Echo

STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 12 Base Atk +5; Grp +6 Feats Combat Expertise, Dark Adept, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (whip), Improved Disarm, Improved Trip Skills Concentration +8, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (religion) +5, Listen +9, Spellcraft +7, Spot +9 Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Elven, Undercommon Combat Gear scroll of cure moderate wounds (3), scroll of web, wand of magic missile (CL 3rd, 10 charges); Other Gear full plate, heavy steel shield, +1 whip, masterwork hand crossbow with 10 acid bolts, masterwork flail, silver holy symbol of Abraxas, 20 gp

Victory! As the war for Celwynvian progresses, the PCs earn battle points (BP) for accomplishing goals, defeating drow and their kin, and supporting the elven effort to reclaim the ruins. Some of the decisions they make during both the set and random encounters can earn or cost them BP as well. The number of BP they garner has a noticeable effect on the conclusion of the battle, as noted at the end of this adventure. Keep a running tally of the PCs’ accumulated BP as the adventure progresses. At the end of the adventure, this total represents how well the PCs have done and indicates the final reward the elves are able to grant them (since much of this reward money comes from reclaimed gear and treasure taken from the drow, a stronger victory generates more gold). The following table shows the gp value of the item each character should be given. Each item should be one chosen specifically for the character. BP

Reward

0 or less 1–5 6–10 11–15 16+

No reward 2,000 gp 5,000 gp 8,000 gp 10,000 gp

Part Three: The Library of Dust

Just before dawn on the morning of the attack, the elven camp is a flurry of activity. The first groups leave well before dawn to reach their appointed battlefields, scattered around the outskirts of Celwynvian. Kaerishiel, who nudges their sleeping forms and shakes the tents, awakes the PCs. He says little to them aside from “I hope you don’t plan on spending the entire battle unconscious,” before wandering off to join his own soldiers. As mentioned the previous night, the characters have been assigned the task of securing one of the main entries to the city, a road that leads in from the west, passing

under the shadow of a building known to contain drow. The assault is scheduled to begin as soon as the sun’s rays touch the tallest remaining spire in the city; if the PCs are spotted by drow before this time, they lose 3 BP for tipping the drow off to the coming assault. When the PCs break from the forest and approach the city for the first time, read or paraphrase the following to them. Leaving the ancient forest behind, the ruins of Celwynvian loom out of the morning fog like ancient bones. Gnarled trees and dense vines cover many of the crumbling structures, making for a strange landscape of leafy walls and verdant towers. Up ahead, a pair of weathered statues loom on either side of the path, marking the entrance to the city. Not far beyond them, a mostly intact library stands in the center of the road.

A1. Approaching the Library (EL 8) Most of the outer walls of this ancient stone building remain intact, but they show serious signs of damage and decay. Small piles of rubble litter the ground and twisting creeper vines cling to the pitted surface. The roof of the library is sloped, but the plants and cracks in its surface make it easy to move across. Characters can climb up to the roof, 20 feet above, with a DC 20 Climb check. The stone doors on the south side of the building are slightly ajar, but the doors on the north side are rusted shut and obstructed on the other side by a mass of spider webs. Opening these doors requires a DC 25 Strength check. Creatures: A group of drow hides on the library roof behind a crumbling parapet. These snipers fire at anyone making their way through the area, using poisoned and alchemical bolts to hamper intruders. When the PCs approach to within 30 feet of the building, give them a Spot check to notice the ambushers and prevent a surprise attack.

Drow Skirmishers (2)

CR 3

hp 11 each (page 16 Tactics

During Combat When the fighting begins, the skirmishers use their crossbows from the roof, firing from behind cover at the PCs, giving them a +4 cover bonus to AC and a +2 cover bonus on Reflex saves. If the characters manage to reach the roof, the skirmishers continue firing at those below if possible, engaging in melee only if the drow soldiers are slain. Morale Due to the importance of this location to the drow, these drow fight to the death.

Drow Soldiers (2)

CR 5

hp 34 each (page 16) Tactics

19

Second Darkness During Combat The soldiers begin combat on the roof, firing at the PCs with their hand crossbows along with the skirmishers. They primarily target anyone attempting to climb the walls. If anyone climbs up on the roof, the soldiers break off from firing to engage the characters in melee, flanking if possible. Morale Due to the importance of this location to the drow, these drow fight to the death.

?8H7HOÅ E